Have You Got The Time
Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. It’s been two weeks since my last communication.
I do try to update my blog at least once a week but I have been very busy over the last month with several projects and events, the biggest one by far is my own affiliate training program which I am getting ready to put on the market. My goal was to have it completed by the end of this month but unfortunately it’s looking like I will need more time to finish the project and test it with some of my students.
This little time delay of my affiliate training program sparks the topic of today’s article … Time Management! Lol!
This is a subject which I have come across many times on blogs and forums over the last few months. Many of the Time Management strategies which I read are pretty much the same from one blog to another. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. What does it tell you with regards to a strategy when you see many people who are using it successfully?
It’s telling you that these strategies work!
Having said that I would like to give you my list of 10 tips towards a more productive work day. Some tips you may have seen before but hopefully you will find at least one gem which you currently are not practicing in your day to day business life.
Tip #1: Set Daily Micro Goals.
Back in December I wrote an article on my blog with regards to setting goals. In this article I stressed the importance on setting short and long term goals and I gave you 7 tips on how to set up your goals correctly. You can view this article again here > Setting Your Goals!
While short and long term goals are great and necessary for success so is setting up daily micro goals to ensure a more productive work day. I would suggest setting around 3 to 5 micro goals each day.
Tip #2: Have a “Notebook” handy for ideas
Dave Allen, author of the fantastic book Getting Things Done, recommends that busy people keep a “tickler’ file.” You should always have a notebook within your reach. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a standard notebook, although that’s what I personally use. You can also you a notebook feature on your cell phone or ipad for ideas on the run. I also use “post-it” notes to write down certain ideas which I get when I am in the middle of something and wish to come back to that idea when I am finished my current task.
Tip #3: Use Time Management Software
There are all kinds of Time Management software on the market some free, and some paid. I use software which is within my Global NPN back office. (It can also be used outside of the back office as well!)
If you are not currently a member of Global NPN then there is also Time Management software which is free called Clocking It. This tool has some pretty kool features as well which allows you to time different tasks throughout your day to determine where you are currently spending your time and how you can improve your productivity.
Tip #4: Check your email only Twice a day!
I know what you’re thinking … I can’t do that, Lol! People waste so much time just checking email and also the back office stats of whatever program(s) they are involved with. This is currently the Number One source of wasted time in this industries market place!
Check your email no more then two times a day, (not first thing in the morning either. In this months issue of Success magazine Tyler Perry says that you should check your email at around noon and again in the evening perhaps before bed.
Tip #5: Pull To Do’s out of your emails and add them to your Task List.
Going back and forth to your emails is another incredible waste of time. Pull out the “To Do’s” from your emails and immediately add them to your Time Management Software.
Tip #6: The 80/20 Rule
This refers to 20 percent of your time to be spent on learning and personal growth and 80 percent of your time to be spent on Actionable steps towards completion of your goals. If I may be so bold I would like to change this 80/20 Rule right now! I would like to change the rules so to speak and make this more a 70/30 rule. If you’ve been on my blog before or have spoken with me personally then you’ll know how much I value education and personal growth. You should be spending at least 30 percent of your time on your own personal growth and education.
Tip #7: Take care of the “worst” jobs first
Procrastination is very distracting. Get into the habit of tackling the task you dread the most first thing in the morning, so that your mind is free from niggling worry for the rest of the day.
Tip #8: Learn to say NO or at least Not Right Now!
Being able to stay on task for an extended period is vital for getting a good result, but that can’t be done if you are constantly getting interrupted throughout the day. Only say yes if it won’t interfere with the project which you are currently working on. If it does interfere with your daily goals then you could write down the new task in your handy dandy notebook to put it on tomorrow’s to do list or you could dis-regard it all together.
Tip #9: Separate Personal Matters from your daily “business” life.
This is where I had some problems in the recent past. Having just taken my business full time I am now a proud full time network marketer. This is one of the most exciting times in my life and I’m so thankful that I get to spend more time with family then I have ever been able to do before. Of course, now working from home, it sometimes becomes more difficult to separate my work life from my personal life. Following the suggestions which I gave you above will go a long way towards separating the two areas, business and personal of your life.
Tip #10: Delegate/Outsource
This is another area which those who know me, know that I had a hard time “giving up” certain duties and routines in my business to third parties which of course is meant to free up more of your time so the you can focus on the future growth of your business. I finally broke down and admitted that I could not do everything myself. There are many great sites which you can outsource some of your daily tasks such as graphic design, back linking, and even article content.
So there you have it, Ten tips on how to improve productivity in your business. Keep in mind that if some of these tips are new to you that’s o.k. They are all skills that you will be able to learn and perfect over time. The most important thing to remember is that we all have the same 24 hours in a day don’t we. The trick is to learn how to use those 24 hours for maxium benefit. If you have found this article to be of value then I would really appreciate it if you were to “like” or “share” it with your family, friends, and business partners buy clicking on any or all of the cute little share buttons located around this article. Thanks so much!
Great post, Kevin! I know that I am having the same trouble finding time myself. I think that part of it is the fact that, with my teaching, I usually end up working during what used to be my prime blogging time. I guess my negative example tells you that sometimes you just have to find ways to thin out your schedule, and find other times that are conducive to other types of work once you have the fixed items placed on your schedule.
Steve Nicholas recently posted..Not a Two-Dimensional Figure
Thanks for the new time management tool clocking it, I haven’t heard of that before. Some really good practical tips here. One of the hardest things is to say no. but sometimes it is the best answer for everyone.
Beth
Beth Hewitt recently posted..Empower Network – Is it a Scam?
Hi Kevin, I like Tip #7 because I know that, at least for me, it eats up all available brain space until I get the dreaded task done. So it gets a lot more energy and drains me of all the more positive energy than if I just went ahead and did it. It sometimes even goes faster or less painfully than I imagined. And if it’s a recurring task applying the idea of outsourcing it may be a great way to just get it off your plate and out of your brain. Thanks – Rob
Rob Wilson recently posted..The most direct route – a straight line?
Hi Kevin,
I tried to pick out a favorite from your List of 10 tips towards a more productive work day. I can’t! Every one of them are excellent practical tips to boost productivity and awareness of how we manage our daily activities.
You are correct that there are many blogs and articles on “time management” however you brought up some key points I haven’t seen before. I was in a program called The Ultimate Game of Life and a discussion surfaced about “time management.” The founder, Jim Bunch made the statement “there is no such thing as time management. We do not manage time. We manage our lives. So in that sense, your tips are for helping people manage their lives.
I am so impressed by the fact that you were able to progress to a full time internet marketer. You’ve reached the dream that most marketers are seeking.
Thank you for your inspiration and this excellent article!
Raena Lynn
Raena Lynn recently posted..Does Attraction Marketing Work?
Hey Raena,
Thanks so much for your kind words and I’m glad that you found some new tips on how you can manage your time or as you say, your life.
There are in fact many other ways to manage your time/life which I have not even mentioned but the trick is to find out what best works for you and then stick to that the best that you can.
Thanks again for your comment and I hope that I will see you return sometime soon.
Kevin
Hello Kevin
Ten excellent tips about efficiently using your time. You are correct the trick is to learn how to use those 24 hours for maximum benefit. We definitely need to learn how to manage the events of our day. The Time Management software,”Clocking It” sounds like a very good tool to evaluate what we are doing with our time.
Thanks
Perry A Davis Jr
Music City
Perry A Davis Jr recently posted..Seven keys to developing strong relationships in network marketing.
Hey Perry,
Glad to see you back my friend, thanks for another fantastic comment … that’s what makes blogging so much fun!
Yes the free software “Clocking It” is really kinda kool. I was amazed when I started using the software, how much time that I was actually wasting on certain tasks throughout the day. Hopefully you too will benefit from the same personal enlightenment which the software bestowed on me.
Thanks again for your comment Perry and I hope that I will see you back soon.
Kevin
Hi there Kevin…
doing the hard things first…. a good model to work with…. because I always have a nagging job to do that I put to one side because I would rather do the things I am most comfortable with….
so thanks for that prod…. tomorrow and all this week… I will be doing something I hate to do… my accounts!
Love you blog, mate…
Speak soon
Pete
pete chapman recently posted..Slowing The Aging Process With Kangen Water
Thank you for the good points and tips!! I have realized that what i lack is focused and setting priorities! as opposed to the one comment above about taking care of the worst job first. I usually put them last. Because I dont want it, because it is difficult. and yes I am wrong! very wrong. I think its time to change some things with my plans.
crescele recently posted..A Reader Shares His Experience About The Ending Of His Relationship
Great tips – it’s all about priorities! I especially like your tip about taking care of the worst jobs first – I always put the task I really do NOT want to do on the top so that I can get it out of the way early. Sometimes it ends up being as bad as I imagined, more often than not – it turns out to be no big deal.
marquita herald recently posted..Doodlers Unite!
Hey Marty,
Glad that you enjoyed the tips, that’s awesome.
You’re absolutely right, it is all about setting priorities and then following them through to completion. Tackling the worst jobs first can be a very hard thing to do as many people will procrastinate when it come to completing these unwanted tasks. Great to see that you put these jobs to the top of your list, that does indeed increase your daily productivity by leaps and bounds!
Thanks so much for returning to my home Marty and for leaving your comment. Hope to see you back again soon.
Kevin
I think we all struggle with time management from time to time. I tend to work too much on business because I love it but even with that I find myself frittering part of the day away doing non essentials that aren’t really productive. I have to pull myself back into focus.
Melodie Kantner recently posted..Are You Learning From Others Who Have Done It?
Hey Melodie,
Couldn’t have said it better myself. We do all struggle with time management from time to time, myself included.
Although I do follow the tips which I have mentioned in this article there are always times that I can get a little off course. The trick is to catch yourself when you do sway off your carefully laid plan and to get back on track as soon as you can.
The advice which I give in this article are guidelines towards effective time management, but like all guidelines it is impossible to follow them 100 percent of the time.
Thanks so much Melodie for your comment and for returning to my online home. I hope that I will see you back again soon.
Kevin
Kevin,
your just an amazing guy.
Managing your time is a major area that there are not just one or two ways about it. There are unlimited methods one can adapt to.
Finding what makes you flow with a daily movement to get things done. That is your focus point.
Leverage is to be included in this time management. Without it your just making the same actions as working for someone else.
Great content Kevin. Your a great coach in our industry and one I will be monitoring from this point on. I love learning new methods and revisiting old ones.
William Earl Amis, Jr. III recently posted..Leverage Back By Demand!
Hey William,
Thanks so much for your kind words I appreciate them very much.
You’re absolutely right “Leveraging your business” is so important and it’s something that a lot of people have a hard time doing. I can completely relate. It wasn’t easy for me to “let go” of certain tasks but am I ever glad that I did.
Some sites which provide excellent outsourcing services are of course fiverr.com, vworker.com, and a little more expensive but still worth a look is elance.com
Thanks again for your comment William and I do hope to see you back soon.
Kevin
Kevin,
Thanks for the tips. Managing my time has been a real struggle for me. I am getting better everyday. Thanks to you with all your leadership.
Jaden
Jaden Daniels recently posted..Do You Have An Entrepreneurial Spirit?
Hey Jaden,
Thanks for coming back to my online home and for leaving another great comment!
Managing time can of course be very tricky, but becomes much more simple when you recognize that there is a problem and that there are tools and services which are available to you when you need them.
Glad to see that your time management and your business is improving every day, that’s awesome!
Thanks again Jaden for your comment. Hope to see you back real soon.
Kevin